Vehicle signal



Mar. 20, R923.

s. s. BATLOUNEY VEHICLE SIGNAL ,Filed not.;

Patented ill/liar. Ztl, i923.

SHECKRY BATLOUNEY, 0F DOVER, NE'l HAMPSHERE,

VlEHCLE SEGNL.

Application filed October fr, 1922.

To ail 107mm it may concern Be it known that l, SHECKRY S. BAT- LoUNnY,a citizen or" the United States, residing at Dover, in the county ofStra-ff'ord 4and State of New Hampshire, have invented new and usefulimprovements in Vehicle Signals, of which the following is aspecitica-tion.

This invention relates to visible signals on all classes of motorvehicles and is designed for use on either the forward or rearward endof such conveyances, but is principally adapted to be usedon therearward end to warn the vehicle following` of the intention `of thedriver to either slow-,up or stop.

It may be attached, by a bracket or clamp, to any conspicuous part ofthe body or mud-guard of the vehicle and is ordinarily intended to beoperated through a connection to certain movable parts of the brakemechanism, as for instance the brake-rods, so that in the act ofapplying the brakes to the vehicle the signal will automaticallyfunction; it may, however, be operated by meansy independent of thebrakes, as any suitable combination of cables and levers extendingforward to, and within easy reach of, the driver may be utilized. And inthis application I do not conne myself to any one particular actuatingsystem alone, as the meaning and intent of my invention will befulfilled and the proper functioning of all' elements of the device beaccomplished by the adoption of either method mentioned.

l wish, however, to call attention -to one feat-ure of the inventionwhich l believe merits particular notice,fnamely, the progressive methodof signaling in which both the islow and stop signals may be given bythe operator of the vehicle by the use of one continuous forwardmovement of the yactuating means.

ln the drawing accompanying this speciiication the apparatus is clearlyillustrated and hereinafter will be given a concise description of theduties of each part entering into its construction, with the novelfeatures more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

ln Fig. l is seen a. front or face View of the signal box with a.portion of the cover broken away to show the letter-signaling slide;this view shows the apparatus in what l term its normal or in-operativeposition; Fig. 2 yshows the apparatus with the Serial No. 532,427.

index-signaling slide partially exposed to view and the letter-signalingslide moved forward t'o the slow signal position; Fig. 3 illustrates thebox with the index-signaling slide fully advanced and the stopwsignalappearing through the openings in front; F ig. l is a front or faceview/fof the letter-signaling slide, Fig. 5 a side view of the lastmentioned part; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional elevation of the device,taken on` line 6-6, Fig. 8; Fig. 7 a rear end view of a motor-car withthe signaling apparatus mounted on thel rear mud-guard of same; Fig. 8is a cross-sectional elevation of the apparatus, taken on line 8 8, Fig.3, and Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of the box, showing thespring-hinged door opened and the index-signaling slide partly exposedto view.

Similar numerals refer to similar .parts throughout the several views ofthe drawing.

rll`he character l represents the signal boX, one end of which is open.lt contains working parts of the mechanism; 2 is a cover secured to thefront of the box by screws 3, 3. At the open end of the box is aspringhinged door fri, which in the normal position of the working partsis closed, but is opened automatically by the index-signaling slide 5when the latter is extended. Actuating this slide 5, by the connectingpin 6 is a lazy-tongs system of levers, 7, 7. To the inner extremitiesof this lazy-tongs are secured projecting pins 8, 8, operating in aguiding slot 9, to restrain and direct the movement of the lazy-tongs.Springs 10', l0, with xedends secured to the top and bottom sides of thebox and their free ends secured to the pins 8, 8, bring the lazy-tongsback to normal position after being extended. Also connecting thelazy-tongs, on pins 8, 8, are cables ll and l2, the former running overpulley 13 and the latter passing directly to bushing 14 both cablesextending downwardly and out of the box through this bushing, and afterrunning over a guide or pulley 15, (see Fig. 7) the cables, which atthis juncture act as one, extend forward and are secured to some movablepart of the brake mechanisn'i, as for instance a brake rod, which makesthe signaling automatic in its action. 0r if the device to be operatedby independent means the cables are still further extended to be withineasy reach of the driver and any suitable arllO ` obtaintension on thecables.

lt will be noted that cover 2 has tour openings, 16a, 16", 16c and 16d,with interven ing partitions or masks of double the width of each of theabove named openings. ln

Fig. 4 is seen 'the letter signaling slide 1T with four groups of twoletters each, namely, SS, LT, OO, and WP, with intervening spacesbetween eachr group, each equal to the width ofone of the openings incover, as

16a etc.

`In Fig. 1V which is the normal or in-operative' position of all theparts no letters on the letter-signaling slide are visible, all thegroups of characters being hidden' behind the partitions or masksbetween the openings 16a, 16 etc., in the cover. In Fig. 2 a slight pullor movement forward of the cables 11 and'lQ has brought theindex-signaling slide partially out of the box, and also exposed to viewthe first letters of each double group on the letter-signaling slide,namely S-L-O-W. A further movement of the cables,l as seen in Fig. 3,will have brought the index-signaling slide 5 to its extreme outwardposition, and also exposed -to view the last letters in each of thedouble groups,-namely, ST-OLP, lthe previously exposed letters havingbecome hidden behind the partitions on the cover.

Releasing the tension on cords 11 and 12 frwill, through the agency ofthe springs, 10,

10 `bring the lazy-tongs, and with them the two signaling slides, backto normal position of parts, and allow the door t to close over-the openend of the box. The move ment of the index-signaling slide 5 and theletter-signaling slide 17 is synchronous, made so by a lever 18'connecting lazy-tongs at joint 194 and letter-signaling slide on pin20. It will'be observed that the index-sig f nalingslide travels fartherand Jfaster than the letter-signaling slide, due to the fact that theyare attached to the lazy-tongs at widely different points. f

As has already been stated in the presome other combination ofcharacters, as iter instance, R-l-T-E and L-E-F-T, signifying to thetrailic oiiicer the direction in which the driver of the vehicle desiresto proceed. In all other particulars the device will be similar, and thesameactuating means will apply as with the rearwardly* i mounted signal.

To increase the usefulness of the-,device for night work 'I utilize thetail lamp equipped with a white side light 21 which will illuminate thefront of signal box. Havingl thus described my invention, l. claim:

A `vehicle signaling device consisting. of

an open end box, an index-signaling slide` within said box, anextensible arm, consisting of a lazy-tongs system of levers adapted topropel and return said index-signaling` slide out of and into said box,a letter-signaling" slide `within said box, means -or actuating saidletter-signaling slide in conjiunction with vsaid index-signaling slide,openings, with intervening masking partitions, in the front side ofsaidbox,

characters or letters on" the'ront `face of said letter-signaling slidearranged in groups of two with intervening spaces between each group,means foralternately exposing to View, through the said openings in thefront of said box, two diiferentword signals by the' action of onecontinuous forward movement of ksaid letter-signaling slide, meanswhereby but one word signal'4 may be visible atone time,means Jiorvactuating said extensible arm and means lfor reyturning said extensiblearm, together with.

both signaling slides to their original and in-operative position withinsaid box, sub-4 stantially as described.

siinoxnr s. Biiriiouniirgj-

